Facing Fears and a Little Bit of Fluff
by Zoey Seraphine Bates
Summary: Brennan faces a lifelong fear.  Gets a LITTLE fluffy :
1. Coyotes

Brennan heard the coyotes howling from her bed in the hotel room. She yelped, a little to loudly, she realized, whenever Booth stirred, turned around in his bed, and looked straight at her. "You okay?" he mumbled sleepily.

"Yep, Fi-" she heard the coyotes again and her voice went up two octaves on the "-ne!"

"C'mere."

"I'm fine Booth! Re-" again, the coyotes howled, and again, her voice went up for, "-ally!"

"Fine, I'll come to you," he clambered out of bed and walked around hers. He climbed in and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. "Scared of coyotes, are you?"

She admired how he pronounced coyotes, like "kai-oats". She found she admired the strangest things about him. "Yes," she whispered.

"Why?"

"Once my brother," she yelped as a coyote howled, "went hunting. He came across a coyote, and it nearly killed him. My dad saved him, at the last minute. They never," she gasped as another coyote sounded, "went hunting again. Russ is still terrified of them."

Another coyote cried, and Booth noticed her tense against him. "Would it be easier if you turned to face me, or pressed your face into my chest? You know I'll fight anything off that wants to hurt you."

In response, she turned and hugged him tightly, with her face buried in his neck. He rubbed her back gently, and soon she went to sleep. He carefully tried to slip away, but she grasped onto him tighter.

"Oh Bones," he sighed as he settled on the bed.

"Hmm?" she muttered quietly.

"I didn't mean to wake you…"

"It's fine."

He laid on his back and let her wrap her arm around his abdomen, while resting her head on his chest. She heard a nice, solid heartbeat, and his bare chest was warm against her cheek. She let a few tears escape from her eyes. She realized she was never going to be able to run to him like this when she was scared.

"Hun, what's wrong?"

"Nothing…"

"Don't even pretend with me. I can feel tears on my chest. Tell me what's bothering you."

"…just realized how lonely I am."

"Right now?"

"No…every night I don't have you around."

"You have other boyfriends frequently, you realize?"

"Yeah, but Booth…they aren't you. No guy has ever just held me like this…no guy has ever let me fall asleep in his arms like his…no guy…no guy ever really cares about me."

"I care about you. And you were sleeping in my arms. Quite peacefully if I may add, until I was an idiot and tried to get away because we're 'just partners'…and what do you mean no guy is me?"

"You're…you're you. You have well defined muscles," she ran her fingers lightly over the muscles in his chest. "You have very pretty eyes. You are quite the good kisser, from past experience, and you've got a very nice personality. It's really hard to find a guy to really want to be with when the best guy you've ever met is your partner. Oh, and you're quite attractive."

"You really think that?"

"I have for a long time."

"Oh…"

"Ugh my back hurts!" she exclaimed as she shifted.

"Lay on your stomach."

"Why?"

"Just trust me."

"Okay," she replied as she laid on her stomach. Soon, she felt his warm hands gliding over the top of her tank top, pressing with just enough force to be really, really soothing. "Booth," she moaned.

"Feel good?"

"Yes…it'd feel a whole lot better without the stupid tank top."

"You're welcome to…remove it…if you'd like," he said awkwardly.

"Only because my back hurts, and we're partners," she slid off the tank top, exposing entirely bare flesh. "Totally partners."

"Plus I can't…see anything anyway."

The coyotes were still howling, but Brennan hadn't noticed them since she fell asleep on Booth, and she definitely wasn't about to notice them now, not when what he was doing to her felt so good she could barely see straight. He continued to rub her back for nearly half and hour, then his hands got tired, and he had to stop.

"In the morning…you can have another in the morning."

She slid on her tank top. "Can't come soon enough."

"We can cuddle right now…if you want. I know it's not a back rub, but it's better than nothing, plus it'll keep you warmer."

"Only to stay warm."

"Only for warmth," he restated.

So she laid back down on his chest, and let him wrap his arms around her.

"Hey Bones?"

"Yeah?"

"You do realize you're a horrible actress. You're about as afraid of coyotes as I am of holding a gun."

She chuckled and hugged him tighter.


	2. No More Kisses

She woke up, safe and sound in his arms. She noticed he was awake when she looked up and met his chocolate brown eyes. She felt her heart skip at least three beats. "Goodmorning sunshine."

"What time is it?"

"Nine."

"Shit!" she nearly screamed as she jumped out of bed. "We are running so late, the hotel has probably already stopped serving breakfast, we-" He clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Bones, it's Saturday."

"Oh thank god!" she sighed as she flopped back down on the bed. He carefully sat down next to her, then leaned back on his forearms.

"Okay, stop being a show off. I know you're just trying to show off your muscles and it's…bothering me."

"Bothering you, eh? How about that backrub I promised you?"

She quickly rolled over onto her stomach and waited for him to rub her back.

"Oh Bones, you're so funny," he whispered in her ear. "So eager. Won't even let me have any fun. You know, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

"What's your idea of play?"

"Goes a little something like this," he whispered, as he leaned in for a kiss. She eagerly kissed back. He planted several kisses on her lips, each time being met with equal or more force back into the kiss. "Alright, alright," he gasped for air, trying to catch is breath, "You can have your backrub now."

She eagerly rolled onto her stomach and let him massage her, this time, letting him steal kisses every so often. When he was finally satisfied that her back didn't hurt anymore and he'd made her happy, he stopped. "Go take a shower, then let me buy you some breakfast."

She showered quickly, threw on jeans and a black tank top, clunky necklace, and she was ready to go. She stole a kiss from him on the empty elevator, then held his hand while he drove to a nearby Denny's. She now found that she liked to be touching him whenever she could. His body was so warm, and that soothed her. She was always cold.

The waitress took their order-chocolate chip pancakes for Brennan (Booth still could hardly believe it, but she loved the things), and a Grand Slam for Booth. Brennan reached across the table and timidly put her hand over Booth's. "We need to talk."

The look in her eyes had already given it all away to him. She didn't want a serious relationship. She just wanted to mess around with him, let him kiss her, hug her, fight her fears, sleep with her, but not actually go the whole way. "Shall I guess or are you just going to tell me?"

"It really not what you think Booth."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then please, do tell."

"When we go back to DC…this has to stop or stay behind closed doors."

"Why? Why do you run away from everything that could make you happy?"

"I don't run away from EVERYTHING that makes me happy."

"Yes you do. You won't get close to your father, you and Russ hardly ever talk. Now I offer you all of me, offer to make you happy for as long as you want, and you won't let me."

"I said you could, behind closed doors."

"Bones! That's not enough, okay?"

"Well it has to be. It's a step up from where we were before."

"Then let's go two steps up."

"We can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to lose my job."

"If there's that much to lose, why bother?"

Their food arrived to save Brennan, because she honestly didn't have an answer.

After a few minutes of eating in silence, he said "Just know, I'd drop everything right now to make you happy."

"That's irrational."

"Whatever," his tone of voice said that the conversation was over. "And no more kisses."


End file.
